Dave Stryker’s New Trio Album

Dave Stryker on the cover of his latest album

My last encounter with guitarist Dave Stryker took place almost exactly two years ago with the release of his Groove Street album. Early this month he released a new album, whose full title is Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session. The subtitle refers to the fact that the nine tracks were recorded at the Van Gelder Recording Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in a single day on July 14 of last year.

Once again, Stryker is leading a trio performing with Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums. He is responsible for composing four of the tracks: “Van Gelder’s Place,” “Blue Fire,” “Waiting for Ruby,” and “Summer Night.” Gold contributes an original of his own: “Back and Forth.” The other tracks are by Charlie Parker (“Dexterity”), Jerome Kern (“The Folks who Live on the Hill”), Paul McCartney (“The Fool on the Hill”), and the partnership of Harry Warren and Al Dubin (“Summer Night”).

Through my past experiences, I have come to enjoy listening to Stryker’s guitar work; and his solo riffs consistently deserve attention. That said, both Gold and Hunter have takes of their own to contribute to the album. The result is a consistent account of performances involving an engaging diversity of solos in a well-balanced trio context. Stryker strikes again!